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How Are Outsiders Central to 'To Kill A Mockingbird' and 'Silas Marner'?
This essay is a comparison of two novels written in different eras, which have similar themes. In my essay I will compare the outsiders in each novel, as they are central figures. An outsider is people that differ from the normal. To Kill A Mockingbird has three outsiders, but only two of them are real outsiders, them being Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Atticus Finch is the other outsider. However in Silas Marner there is only one main outsider and that being Silas Marner himself. The other outsider in Silas Marner is Eppie, the adopted daughter of Silas Marner. The author of To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee presents many ideas about why the three characters are outsiders. His main ideas are racism and prejudice as a whole. In the novel Silas Marner George Elliot represents ideas of different classes, for example rich versus poor. Both novels also represent the idea of people prejudging the outsiders without getting to know them. They don't treat the outsiders right from the first time they meet them simply because they are different.
Appearance is a focal point in both novels. The appearance of Tom Robinson is the main reason for him being an outsider. The novel is set in the early 100's and at that time most of Southern America was racially segregated, especially the southern states where this book is set. He is forced to live out of the local community along with the other coloured folks in the town. He also has a disability. That being that his left arm is several inches shorter than his right and this is very visual.
'His left arm was fully 1 inches shorter than his right, and hung dead on his side. It ended in a small shrivelled hand, and from as far away as the balcony I could see that it was of no use to him.' This quotation simply means that Tom has a disability and as we learn later on in the novel, this would make the accusation about him even harder to believe.
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With him having a disability he is similar to Silas Marner as he too has a disability. He suffers from epileptic fits. He is also similar to Boo with his physical appearance. Both men are hunched and pale in skin colour. Also Silas Marner is described as having dead mans eyes.
'Silas Marners pale face really saw nothing very distinctly that was not close to them, and not rather their dreadful stare.' A quote, which makes out that Silas isn't something nice to look at. As both men had disabilities and were both outsiders having these disabilities didn't help. But in Tom's case his problem didn't make him more of an outsider. However with Silas suffering from fits he became more of an outsider as his disability was a mental disability unlike Tom's.
'Boo was about six and a half feet tall, judging from his tracks he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch.' Thus description is take from the novel and it basically describes his as obese in size and strange in his ways. This appearance made Boo appealing to the children in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird as he was strange to look at and this gave him an aura about him.
In the two novels there are wrongful accusations. Tom and Silas were the victims of this. Tom Robinson is firstly accused of raping Mayella Ewell. He is taken to court because of this and is charge of being guilty. This wasn't such a shock as he was black and at the time America was very racist towards blacks. So the courts were very biased towards the whites. His description shows that for Tom to rape someone is would be near impossible to do so.
'In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always win. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life.' This quotation is taken from the novel To Kill A Mockingbird and it goes with the fact that the courts in America at the time were biased towards the white people.
Atticus who was the third outsider in the novel only became an outsider as he was Tom's lawyer and he was white. He was seen as a traitor for believing that Tom wasn't guilty and that he was prepared to get justice.
'I'm simply defending a Negro, his name's Tom Robinson.' This is Atticus' view on Tom. Unlike most people in America at the time, Atticus is prepared to stick up for a black man. Atticus is supporting Tom because he thinks he is right, but when he was appointed as Tom's lawyer much thought that he was simply just going to let Tom be charged with being guilty because he is a black.
Silas Marner also had wrongful accusations made about him. He was accused of stealing the Deacons money at Lantern Yard. Of course this made him very upset and he was forced to leave and he became isolated away from society. That's similar to Tom as he was also forced to live away from society because of his colour.
The settings in To Kill A Mockingbird plays a major role on the novel. Firstly it is set in Americas Deep South, a small town called Maycomb County. The reason for this being so important is that its set in the early 100's and this being the time when America was racially segregated with blacks being seen as second class citizens to whites. The Klu Klux Klan played a major part on peoples life's at the time this novel is set, however they are not featured in the novel. Neither are lynchings, which was a disgusting way for blacks to be executed without.
The setting for Silas Marner is rural England. The passage of time was just before the industrial revolution. The town Silas lived in was were many old ways were kept.
'And Raveloe was a village where many of the old echoes lingered, undrowned by new voices.' This quote explains the view that the town Raveloe kept many of its old traditions. The focal point of the town is the church. This goes with the view that religion was important in everyone's life back then, unlike it is today. Everyone would attend church then and would be superstitious with their beliefs as well.
The settings are pretty similar with the settings being small towns, which are segregated in their own ways. Both towns have their own beliefs on the way that things should be done. Maycomb believes in segregation because of colour while in Raveloe they keep to old ways.
The reactions towards Tom Robinson are pretty predictable, as whites don't like him due to his colour. These feelings towards him force him and the other blacks to live outside the main society and town.
Boo Radley has different reactions towards himself. The people of Maycomb make up stories about him, this not just being the adults but the children as well. This tells us that society at the time is wrong. Children are being brought up without the chance to find out what someone is really like, they are taught to prejudge people.
' Boo drove the scissors into his parents legs, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.' This is a story about Boo told by Miss Stephanie. You have to question whether this is a true story as he keeps himself away from society, so therefore no one really knows what he is like. He has similar reactions with children, as does Silas Marner. Both men intrigue children as they have weird ways. In To Kill A Mockingbird Scout and Jem to local children discover a friendship with Boo. The children ignore the stories told about Boo and decide to find out whether they are true or not. Boo leaves a present in the tree for the children proving that he isn't so bad at all. He also rescues the children after Mr Ewell attacks them.
Reactions about Silas Marner change throughout the novel. People first think that Silas is strange, but after he cures Sally Oates, an old lady of illness he is then praised. Unfortunately for him people started going to him for help, he didn't like this and this is why he distanced himself from the society. After doing this the people of Raveloe thought he was working for the devil.
'He might cure more folks if he would, but he was worth speaking fair, if it was only to keep him from doing you a mischief.' A quote from the novel about Silas and his cures. At first he was prepared to help people, but when more and more came to him he refused. Unfortunately for him he was made even more of an outsider due to this.
Tom Robinson is a family man. He is married and has two little children. But he is discriminated against for being black and these forces him to live away from the community. He is seen as the lower class, only because he is black. He is always prejudged because of his colour and this is always a set back for him.
Boo Radley isn't really higher or lower class. He is white so he isn't seen as lower class in the novel, but he isn't higher class either. He is also forced out of the society like Tom is. Simply because he there is many stories made up and told about him. He doesn't go out any more, except when no one else is out. That is night time. He lives with his brother in the town unlike Tom.
There are many classes in a Maycomb at the time. The lower class of people were the blacks, they was seen as bottom of the pile simply because of the colour of their skin. The Ewells are a poor white family in Maycomb. They are a disgrace to Maycomb. They are an uneducated and uncared for family. They live near the dump, so like blacks they live away from society. Another poor white family in Maycomb at the time was the Cunninghams. Unlike the Ewells they were hard working farmers. They were proud and weren't willing to accept anything unless they could pay people back. A good example of this is when they exchanged food for Atticus help.
Silas Marner is lower class at first. This is because later on in the novel he adopts a young girl named Eppie. People aren't willing to accept him into their society because he is different to everyone else and is very superstitious. He's also seen as an outcast because of his fits he suffers from. Soon after he adopts Eppie he realises that he has to move back into the town with the rest of society for the good of Eppie.
'But yet men are led away from threatening destruction, a hand is put into theirs, which leads them forth gently towards a calm and bright land, so that they look no more backwards, and the hand may be a little child's.' This quote is taken from the novel, I think it shows the time when Eppie was brought into Silas' life and how he realised that he had to move back into society for the good of Eppie.
This is similar to Boo who also rejoins society for the good of children. He helps Jem and Scout Finch when they are in trouble. I think a strong morale to take from both novels is that society is quick to prejudge people. You only believe what you want to believe and in the case of the people of Maycomb and Raveloe they prejudge Boo, Tom and Silas without really getting to know them at first.
Why are Tom, Boo and Silas outsiders? I feel sorry most for Tom Robinson. He is only and outsider due to the colour of his skin. The early 100's were racially segregated and this is when the novel To Kill A Mockingbird was set. Tom becomes even more of an outsider after he has wrongful accusations about him made. He was charged guilty of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. This accusation is pretty ridiculous due to Tom having a disability with his left arm.
Boo Radley is the other main outsider in To Kill A Mockingbird. He has many allegations and stories made up about him, whether they are true or not they still made him an outsider. He doesn't get involved with the community until later on in the book when Jem and Scout need his help. Unlike Tom who is shot dead inn the novel, Boo ends up as not being an outsider.
Silas Marner is the only outsider in the novel Silas Marner. Similar to Tom Robinson he has many wrongful accusations about himself, which forces him out of society, and into isolation. He becomes more of an outsider after he refuses to give help, despite him already curing Sally Oates. He has a disability, which also makes him an outsider, he suffers from epileptic fits.
Narrators have an effect on the novels. To Kill A Mockingbird is written from a child's point of view, that being Scouts. As she grows up she sees things different to when she was a child and the language that she uses also becomes more complex. Silas Marner is written from first person narrator. This means that the narrator sees everything that goes on. The effect that this gives on the novel is good, as we find out about Silas more and more. We learn his history and his inner feelings.
The authors present different ideas about why people are outsiders. George Elliot the author of Silas Marner presents the idea of clashes between classes. For example she uses the poor class versus the rich.
'The poor thought that the rich were entirely in the right of it to lead a jolly life.' This shows a clash of classes.
Harper Lee presents a different idea. She uses prejudices as a whole. She mainly uses racism, as the novel was set during a bad time for Afro-Americans. An example of this is the way Tom Robinson was treated, he was forced to live out of the community and also had wrongful accusations made about him.
Despite the novels being wrote hundreds of years apart both have similar ideas. Both represent the idea of outsiders, as outsiders are central in both novels. The character of Silas Marner is very similar to the character of Boo Radley. Also the settings of both books are similar. With religion and church playing an important role in town life. Both towns are also segregated, with Tom living away from society because of his colour and Silas living away from society because of choice.
I think that the novel To Kill A Mockingbird presented the outsider Tom Robinson most effectively. One reason for this is because Boo and Silas were very similar and Tom was an outsider for a completely different reason. His appearance. He was black and lived in racially segregated community. This is more effective because this is historically true as well. The novel was set in the early 100's and that's the time when America was very racist. Also with it being set in America's Deep South made it more effective as that was the place were racism was at its worst. A similarity from both books is that society hasn't changed. Despite the novels being written hundreds of years apart they still represent the same idea. This is that people prejudge others, without getting to know them for who they really are. They take what other people say as the truth when a lot of the time it's just made up stories about someone. This still happens today in society.
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